Wearing fitness and health tracking devices may help users become more active and lose weight, according to an August 2022 study published in the Lancet.
The researchers collated and analyzed 39 systematic reviews and meta-analyses that reported data on how health changes when wearing fitness tracking devices. In total, the sample of studies they reviewed represented more than 160,000 people.
When all the information from the studies was taken together, they found that fitness trackers and wearable devices increased physical activity, accounting for 1,800 extra steps daily and 40 minutes more walking daily. They were also linked to a loss of around 2.2 pounds and a six minute daily increase in moderate to vigorous exercise. In terms of physiological improvements, there was some evidence that trackers improved certain health measures like cholesterol and blood pressure, but the results were small and often non-significant.
"There is sufficient evidence to recommend the use of wearable activity trackers at least as an adjunct to programmes aiming to increase physical activity," the study says.